Gatsby Benchmarks: A Decade of Progress and Future-Focused Updates

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The Gatsby Benchmarks are widely recognised as the gold standard for careers education. Since their introduction, over 90% of schools and colleges across the UK have adopted these benchmarks, making impressive strides in helping young people explore career pathways, build essential skills, and fulfill their potential. In fact, progress since 2018 has nearly tripled, underscoring the benchmarks as a reliable foundation for embedding careers guidance into education.

However, as the world of work evolves due to advancements in technology, changes in education, and shifting labour market demands, the Gatsby Benchmarks have been updated to ensure they remain relevant for the next decade. These enhancements are designed to sharpen their focus and continue driving meaningful progress.

What’s New? Five Key Themes

While the original eight benchmarks and their titles remain unchanged, the updates introduce five key themes to enhance their relevance and impact:

1. Careers at the Heart of Education and Leadership

The updates highlight the unique roles of key stakeholders such as school leaders, governors, and careers leaders. There’s also a renewed focus on ensuring every subject teacher embeds careers education into their curriculum, creating a whole-school approach where careers guidance becomes an integral part of learning.

2. Inclusion and Impact for Every Young Person

The benchmarks now emphasise the importance of tailoring programmes to meet the individual needs of each young person. These changes reflect the growing awareness that inclusivity—ensuring every student, regardless of background or ability, receives tailored support—leads to better outcomes for all.

3. Meaningful and Varied Encounters and Experiences

Providing young people with authentic encounters with employers, workplaces, and further education remains at the heart of the Gatsby Benchmarks. The updates clarify what makes an encounter truly meaningful:

  • It must have a clear purpose shared with the young person and employer.
  • It should be underpinned by learning outcomes that align with the young person’s goals.
  • There must be opportunities for two-way interaction between students and professionals.
  • Students need time to reflect on the insights and skills gained from the experience.

By refining this definition, the Gatsby Benchmarks ensure that encounters are impactful and help students make informed decisions about their futures.

4. Focusing on the Use of Information and Data

In a world where information is abundant, it’s essential that young people can access inclusive, reliable information about career pathways. The updated benchmarks emphasise equipping students—and their parents or carers—with tools to interpret and use this information effectively to make decisions that suit their aspirations and abilities.

5. Engagement of Parents and Carers

Recognising the crucial role of families in supporting young people’s career choices, the updates strengthen the relationship between careers programmes and parents/carers. Schools are encouraged to involve parents in planning and ensure that clear, timely information about careers guidance is shared with them.

Why These Updates Matter?

The Gatsby Benchmarks have already transformed careers education in schools and colleges, ensuring students gain the knowledge, skills, and experiences they need to succeed in the modern workforce. By refining their focus, these updates will help prepare young people for an ever-changing world, ensure inclusivity, and support schools in fostering a careers-rich environment where every student can thrive.

For educators, parents, and employers alike, these updates mark a significant step forward in ensuring careers education keeps pace with the world of work—offering young people the best possible foundation for their future.

To read the full report here.

Endorsed by the Careers & Enterprise Company, career leads & teachers use F4S to schedule speakers we recommend & train to speak to their students, broadening the student’s career horizons.

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